We went to police and council, dog warden and CAB to get advise police were useless said it was a civil matter, council said they couldn’t do anything unless I had been attacked and dog warden bless him did what he could but faced with pathetic laws was not really able to do much.
They always think everyone will shrink back and they feel quite safe. Not everyone does though. When that German Shepherd attacked my son’s elderly Dalmation (ripped her ear to shreds) my son attacked the German Shepherd and the woman was furious with my son! She was told it was a good job she was a woman or he’d have walloped her as well as he was that angry. When people don’t control their dogs, there is always the risk that things will escalate and actions taken that, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have happened.
You are perfectly entitled to take civil action in a small claims court. You represent yourself, produce photos of the incident, vetinary reports and can sue up to £5,000.
Not that it will make the slightest bit of difference - but I would vote to stop the breeding …
In years to come, after more fatalities and injuries - this will happen …
I agree Patsy - I would also insist that dog owners take compulsory dog handling courses and can be spot checked by dog wardens: no bit of paper = no dog.
I could be wrong but I think you have to prove monetary loss I know when my husband was bitten that was what we were told and with Mollie our vet was so lovely he waived the cost because he knew we couldn’t afford much and she was one of his favourite patients.
Then I’d have told the vet to let the bill stand until the court hearing (after making sure he understood I would like to reserve the right to go back to his original offer if I’d lost the case 
). I’d have also sued for pain and suffering of the animal and the stress it had caused me. I would sling everything I could think of at that court.
Unless these owners are challenged, dogs in general will continue to be thought badly of by others.
What breeds are you talking about?
Nobody seems to know for sure. Pitbulls are already banned but even the authorities aren’t absolutely sure what a pitbull is and invariably use a tape measure to measure tip of nose to base of tail and shoulder to paw- it’s all very hit and miss. It’s not like pitbulls are recognised by the kennel club.
QUOTE=ben-varrey;390203]Absolutely yes. There are laws preventing people from owning dangerous animals and I can’t fathom why certain breeds of dog are not included in those restrictions. I think enough death and injury have occurred regarding those dogs for the law to act before anyone else’s life is lost or irrepairably damaged.
[/QUOTE]
Audrey - I’m not surprised you don’t know -we’ve had this debate on Dogsey before and nobody has got the definitive answer, a fellow American is often scratching her head in confusion on there too. As far as I know there is no breed as such called the “pitbull” it seems to be an amalgamation of other breeds.
All the authorities know is that WE (which doesn’t include me by the way) we’re not sure what they are but we don’t like them and they should be banned. Good luck with that!
There are breeds that have the propensity for aggression and breeds that are not so likely to. Jack Russels spring to mind so it isn’t all about Staffies.
Any dog that shows aggressive tendencies should not be allowed to reside in a residential area or be exercised (unmuzzled and unleashed) where members of the public would be at risk. My daughter took in a rescue Doberman who lived up the breeds bad reputation (and he was a horrible dog) but he adored my daughter; she never once took him out without muzzling him and he was always leashed; she saw it as the responsible thing to do and I’m amazed when others say it’s not the way to treat the dog. In my opinion, she did the right thing until she found him a new home.
I agree too - I’m sick and tired of seeing ill-equipped people out there with dogs that they cannot handle.
The only problem with that is dog-handling methodologies are hotly debated - there is positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, non-aversive, aversive, positive, then of course the very dangerous Caesar Milan devotees etc… Each one claims to know the “right way” of course.
Who would pay for all the dog wardens? In Somerset I think there is one or two that covers a huge area, I can’t remember exactly but I know I was really quite shocked. I’m sure you will l respond by saying that dog-owners should pay, which is fair enough but then it becomes quite elitist to own a dog and the homeless or elderly pensioners who are devoted to their dogs would be prevented from having one etc…
Not as straightforward as it first looks.
No it isn’t but public safety has to take priority.
You are quite right, I would say that the dog owners have to take financial responsibility but costs should be kept to a minimum. People could have group sessions, it doesn’t have to be one-to-one unless a dog is showing serious problems.
It comes down to whether people think that the right to own a dog outweighs the right not to risk being bitten (person or other dogs).
I love terriers and had the terrier aggression problems too, it was for us about managing those aggressive tendencies by as your daughter did muzzles and always on leads. Mine never so much as sniffed another dog or human in all the years we had them because we knew what they could/would do.
Even now my gentle girls who wouldn’t hurt anyone are never off lead or allowed to say hello unless someone wants to meet them.
It is about manners as far as I am concerned and some of us have better manners than others 
We’re talking yobs here, using their dogs as weapons. Its not difficult !
The dogs they ‘use’ are not fit to be ‘pets’ - simple as that !
Public safety should be priority - but if it was why are cars faster, bigger and more likely to kill you than they have in the past?
Dog wardens don’t come cheap - you’d have to have as many dog wardens as you do traffic wardens to police it in the way you suggest. It just isn’t cost effective as the number of dog bite incidents are so incredibly small that it doesn’t even register in NHS statistics.
What methodology would the group use? Have a look on Dogsey our sister site and see how heated the debate gets on there about what method of training should be used and what works and then go and check your local book shop dog-training shelves. There is definitely not one size fits all.
Don’t misunderstand me, I am a passionate dog lover and my dog would NEVER be involved in any incident because he is completely under my control but when I see those thugs out there with those beautiful staffies my blood runs cold - not because I’m afraid of the dogs but because I’m afraid of the thugs and what they’ve taught the dogs either deliberately or through neglect.
I really must take issue with that statement. I agree these yobs are not fit to be owners but the dogs themselves are perfectly fit to be pets.
I own what some may think a very scary looking staffie - but he is a perfect gent, he knows a bucketful of tricks, loves people and is currently snoring away in his bed next to the fire after his hearty dinner. All that after being abandoned to live on the street when he was 8 months old - I think he has done incredibly well. The idea that he is not entitled to be a pet is frankly appalling.
Your opinion - but, if these dogs did not exist in the first place, there would be no need for the concern and you would have a different breed.
There are so many breeds, why take the risk …
BTW - I’ve never been ‘appalling’ in me life ! :-p
Not just my opinion - there are 000s of studies that argue that environment shapes dogs over and above nature. The staffie is described as the nanny dog by the Kennel club because of how good they are with children
I do not believe I am taking any risk over and above any other dog - not sure if you know this, but here goes, all dogs can bite and all dogs have 42 teeth.
And some people cant ‘see’ beyond their nose - they just mosey along …
I have heard nothing that would change my stance on it, not that ‘I’ will make any difference. But, one day, people will wake up …
This is why breed legislation is so unfair, you know your dogs have made sure they are safe, so it can be done but some will never bother to do it.
People registration would be better possibly ? make sure people who own any dog can control them, personally I would take that further and have them register to be allowed to have children too so we can weed out those yobs none of us like. 